Timaru . Then a pattern emerged and the last three Marlboro Series were held at Pukekohe , Wanganui , Gracefield , Timaru and Ruapuna . All the circuits were short . The longest was Pukekohe at 2.81km and the shortest Ruapuna at 1.56km . The machinery used in the final series had been developed for Grand Prix or Formula 750 racing , on circuits twice the length of those used in the Marlboro Series . Much of the racing was shoulder-to-shoulder , and those who saw Pat Hennen , Gregg Hansford , and Murray Sayle dicing through the streets of Wanganui in 1975-76 will never forget it . Pat Hennen was quoted as saying , “ I ’ ve worked harder for this title than I ’ ve ever worked before . It ’ s been a month of absolute hell ” The 1970s were boom years for motorcycles . There seemed to
Above : Gregg Hansford , Pat Hennen , Sadao Asami and Stu Avant at Pukekohe . Below : Author testing a TZ700 at Pukekohe in ‘ 78 . Hailwood to his left
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